Measurement Computing PCI-COM422/485 - Manual (Page 7)

3
2.3 HARDWARE INSTAL LATION
The PCI-COM422/485 boards are plug-and-play configured by the host operating system. There are no
switches for setting the base address or interrupt level. Configuration is controlled by your systems’
BIOS. To install the board, turn off your PC, unplug it, open it, and insert your PCI-COM422/485 board
into any available PCI slot.
To check that all ports have been properly installed you can interrogate the COM port system with the
following sequence:
If you are using Windows 95 or 98:
1. Right click on the “My Computer” Icon on your desktop.
2. Click on “Properties”.
3. Click on the “Device Manager” tab.
4. Double click on the “Ports (COM & LPT)” Icon
If you are using Windows NT:
1. Right click Start and then Settings on the Task Bar.
2. Click on “Control Panel”.
3. Click on the “Ports” icon.
The new PCI-COM ports should be listed.
2.4 SET UP THE COM PO RT PARAMETERS
2.4.1 IF YOU ARE USING WIND OWS 95 OR 98:
To set the RS422/485 port parameters (e.g. baud rate, parity) follow the sequence listed above
and then double click on the port you wish to configure. The Communications Port (COM#)
Properties sheet will appear. Click on the “Port Settings” tab and change the port settings to
match your applications requirements. Click on the “Advanced” tab to select between RS422 and
RS485 mode and to set the maximum baud rate clock. Figure 2-2 below shows the Advanced
setting screen for Windows 95/98.
When “Enable RS422 Mode” is selected, the RS485 mode settings are ignored. The settings from
this page are saved in the system registry to support automatic reconfiguration after reboot.
2.4.2 IF YOU ARE USING WIND OWS NT:
To set the RS422/485 port parameters (e.g. standard baud rates, parity) use the Ports applet that can
be found in the Control Panel. Select the port you wish to configure and change the port settings to
match your applications requirements. To configure the RS422/485 mode settings and to change
the maximum baud rate execute the control panel applet PCIcom. Figure 2-3 below shows the
configuration screen that is displayed. The application supports the selection of RS422 or RS485
mode as well as maximum baud rate selection.